Earth · earthquakes
A year of strong earthquakes
Each spike is a magnitude 5.5+ earthquake of the last twelve months (USGS ComCat); its height follows the magnitude, its colour the depth. Rings mark the strongest. Earthquakes outline the plate boundaries.
- < 70 km (shallow)
- 70–300 km (intermediate)
- > 300 km (deep)
Latest catalogued earthquake
M 5.2
Strongest in the catalogue
M 9.5
Earthquakes M ≥ 7
1,622
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/26/26
Positions and magnitudes from the USGS catalogue; heights exaggerated. Base map: local NASA Blue Marble.
Catalogued earthquakes M ≥ 4.5
312,154
1900 → 2026-10-26
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/26/26
Current · provisional
Earthquakes M ≥ 7
1,622
including 100 M ≥ 8
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/26/26
Current · provisional
Latest catalogued earthquake
M 5.2
2026-10-26 11:13 UTC · 205 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/26/26
Strongest in the catalogue
M 9.5
1960-05-22 · 1960 Great Chilean Earthquake (Valdivia Earthquake)
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/26/26
Earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 in the last 30 days of the catalogue
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/26/26
Earthquakes M ≥ 7 and M ≥ 6 per year
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/26/26
Current · provisional
Show the data as a table
Earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 per year
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/26/26
Current · provisional
Show the data as a table
Ten strongest earthquakes in the USGS catalogue (since 1900)
| # | M | Date | Place | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9.5 mw | 1960-05-22 | 1960 Great Chilean Earthquake (Valdivia Earthquake) | 25 km |
| 2 | 9.2 mw | 1964-03-28 | The 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska Earthquake | 25 km |
| 3 | 9.1 mw | 2004-12-25 | 2004 Sumatra - Andaman Islands Earthquake | 30 km |
| 4 | 9.1 mww | 2011-03-11 | 2011 Great Tohoku Earthquake, Japan | 29 km |
| 5 | 9.0 mw | 1952-11-04 | 89 km ESE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia | 22 km |
| 6 | 8.8 mw | 1906-01-31 | 1906 Ecuador-Colombia Earthquake | 20 km |
| 7 | 8.8 mww | 2010-02-27 | 2010 Maule, Chile Earthquake | 23 km |
| 8 | 8.8 mww | 2025-07-29 | 2025 Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia Earthquake | 35 km |
| 9 | 8.7 mw | 1965-02-04 | 1965 Western Aleutian Islands (Hawadax/Rat Islands) Earthquake | 30 km |
| 10 | 8.6 mw | 1946-04-01 | The 1946 Unimak Island, Alaska Earthquake | 15 km |
Deadliest earthquakes (NCEI significant earthquake database)
NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite NCEI/WDS · 10/23/26
| # | Year | Place | M | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1556 | CHINA: SHAANXI PROVINCE | 8.0 | 830,000 |
| 2 | 2010 | HAITI: PORT-AU-PRINCE tsunami | 7.0 | 316,000 |
| 3 | 115 | TURKEY: ANTAKYA (ANTIOCH) tsunami | 7.5 | 260,000 |
| 4 | 525 | TURKEY: ANTAKYA (ANTIOCH), SAMANDAG | 7.0 | 250,000 |
| 5 | 1976 | CHINA: NE: TANGSHAN | 7.5 | 242,769 |
| 6 | 1920 | CHINA: GANSU PROVINCE, SHANXI PROVINCE tsunami | 8.3 | 235,502 |
| 7 | 1139 | AZERBAIJAN: GYZNDZHA | — | 230,000 |
| 8 | 2004 | INDONESIA: SUMATRA: ACEH: OFF WEST COAST tsunami | 9.1 | 227,899 |
| 9 | 856 | IRAN: DAMGHAN, QUMIS | 7.9 | 200,000 |
| 10 | 893 | ARMENIA: DVIN; IRAN: ARDABIL | — | 150,000 |
Filterable USGS catalogue
USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service) · U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · 10/26/26
| Date (UTC) | M | Place | Depth | Lat., lon. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-04-02 10:02 | 6.2 mwb | 108 km SE of Gizo, Solomon Islands | 14 km | -8.71, 157.62 |
| 2007-04-02 08:49 | 6.1 mwb | 117 km NW of Gizo, Solomon Islands | 34 km | -7.22, 156.24 |
| 2007-04-02 00:49 | 6.1 mwc | 21 km WNW of Puerto Chacabuco, Chile | 5 km | -45.38, -73.06 |
| 2007-04-01 19:15 | 6.0 mb | 111 km SSE of Panguna, Papua New Guinea | 10 km | -7.30, 155.68 |
| 2007-04-01 19:11 | 6.9 mwc | 113 km SSE of Panguna, Papua New Guinea | 10 km | -7.31, 155.74 |
| 2007-04-01 18:47 | 6.6 mb | 99 km SSE of Panguna, Papua New Guinea | 10 km | -7.17, 155.78 |
| 2007-04-01 18:46 | 6.1 mb | 155 km S of Gizo, Solomon Islands | 24 km | -9.50, 156.93 |
| 2007-04-01 18:39 | 8.1 mwc | 2007 Solomon Islands Earthquake | 24 km | -8.47, 157.04 |
| 2007-03-31 10:49 | 6.2 mwb | southern East Pacific Rise | 10 km | -56.08, -123.27 |
| 2007-03-25 00:08 | 6.9 mwc | 134 km S of Isangel, Vanuatu | 35 km | -20.75, 169.35 |
| 2007-03-24 23:41 | 6.7 mwc | 46 km NW of Nanao, Japan | 8 km | 37.34, 136.59 |
| 2007-03-24 23:40 | 7.1 mwb | 119 km S of Isangel, Vanuatu | 34 km | -20.62, 169.36 |
| 2007-03-18 01:11 | 6.2 mwc | 130 km WNW of Santa Genoveva de Docordó, Colombia | 7 km | 4.58, -78.49 |
| 2007-03-17 21:43 | 6.0 mwc | 133 km WNW of Santa Genoveva de Docordó, Colombia | 10 km | 4.55, -78.54 |
| 2007-03-17 16:42 | 6.2 mwb | 135 km WNW of Ternate, Indonesia | 35 km | 1.13, 126.22 |
| 2007-03-13 01:59 | 6.0 mwb | 85 km ENE of Loreto, Mexico | 26 km | 26.26, -110.54 |
| 2007-03-09 02:22 | 6.0 mwb | 19 km SE of Sergeyevka, Russia | 441 km | 43.22, 133.53 |
| 2007-03-08 10:14 | 6.2 mwc | east of the South Sandwich Islands | 10 km | -58.22, -7.62 |
| 2007-03-08 04:03 | 6.1 mwc | Izu Islands, Japan region | 140 km | 29.91, 140.20 |
| 2007-03-06 04:49 | 6.3 mwc | 26 km SE of Bukittinggi, Indonesia | 11 km | -0.49, 100.53 |
| 2007-03-06 02:49 | 6.4 mwc | 24 km SE of Bukittinggi, Indonesia | 19 km | -0.49, 100.50 |
| 2007-03-01 22:11 | 6.0 mwc | northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge | 10 km | 26.58, -44.59 |
| 2007-02-28 22:13 | 6.2 mwb | South Sandwich Islands region | 10 km | -55.24, -29.14 |
| 2007-02-24 01:36 | 6.3 mwb | 63 km WSW of Pimentel, Peru | 23 km | -7.01, -80.48 |
| 2007-02-20 13:25 | 6.0 mwc | 206 km SSW of Sofifi, Indonesia | 11 km | -1.03, 126.98 |
| 2007-02-20 07:04 | 6.7 mwc | 206 km SSW of Sofifi, Indonesia | 12 km | -1.03, 126.98 |
| 2007-02-16 23:02 | 6.0 mwb | 115 km ESE of Shizunai-furukawach?, Japan | 31 km | 41.79, 143.55 |
| 2007-02-12 11:45 | 6.1 mwc | 62 km SE of Caburan, Philippines | 24 km | 5.56, 126.07 |
| 2007-02-12 09:35 | 6.0 mwc | 181 km SW of Sagres, Portugal | 20 km | 35.80, -10.31 |
| 2007-02-04 20:17 | 6.2 mwc | southern East Pacific Rise | 10 km | -55.88, -122.72 |
| 2007-02-04 19:56 | 6.2 mwb | 108 km NNW of Lucea, Jamaica | 10 km | 19.37, -78.52 |
| 2007-01-31 02:15 | 6.5 mwc | Kermadec Islands, New Zealand | 34 km | -29.78, -178.00 |
| 2007-01-30 20:37 | 6.6 mwc | Maug Islands region, Northern Mariana Islands | 20 km | 20.98, 144.70 |
| 2007-01-30 03:54 | 6.9 mwc | west of Macquarie Island | 11 km | -54.74, 146.30 |
| 2007-01-25 09:59 | 6.0 mwb | 136 km ENE of Hengchun, Taiwan | 36 km | 22.56, 121.93 |
| 2007-01-21 16:32 | 6.2 mwc | 119 km WNW of Ternate, Indonesia | 23 km | 1.06, 126.34 |
| 2007-01-21 10:27 | 7.5 mwc | 126 km WNW of Ternate, Indonesia | 22 km | 1.06, 126.28 |
| 2007-01-20 05:21 | 6.2 mwc | South Sandwich Islands region | 10 km | -55.42, -29.53 |
| 2007-01-17 22:18 | 6.2 mwc | Carlsberg Ridge | 8 km | 10.12, 58.71 |
| 2007-01-17 03:28 | 6.0 mwb | 119 km SW of Abepura, Indonesia | 101 km | -3.32, 139.83 |
| 2007-01-13 16:37 | 6.0 mwc | east of the Kuril Islands | 10 km | 46.91, 156.28 |
| 2007-01-13 03:23 | 8.1 mwc | 2007 Kuril Islands Earthquake | 10 km | 46.24, 154.52 |
| 2007-01-11 13:31 | 6.0 mwc | 100 km W of Ambon, Indonesia | 13 km | -3.66, 127.28 |
| 2007-01-08 19:52 | 6.3 mwb | Fiji region | 407 km | -18.58, -177.85 |
| 2007-01-08 16:21 | 6.0 mwb | 23 km WSW of Vorukh, Tajikistan | 16 km | 39.80, 70.31 |
| 2007-01-08 11:48 | 6.1 mwb | Nicobar Islands, India region | 11 km | 8.08, 92.44 |
| 2006-12-30 07:30 | 6.6 mwc | 156 km NW of Kilmia, Yemen | 15 km | 13.31, 51.36 |
| 2006-12-27 19:15 | 6.0 mwb | 134 km WNW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea | 355 km | -5.72, 154.42 |
| 2006-12-26 14:19 | 6.0 mwc | 278 km SSW of Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia | 10 km | 48.32, 154.84 |
| 2006-12-26 11:34 | 6.9 mwc | 26 km W of Hengchun, Taiwan | 10 km | 21.97, 120.49 |
Method and sources
The USGS ComCat (ANSS) catalogue is read through the FDSN web service, one request per calendar year since 1900 for magnitudes ≥ 4.5; the last two years are re-read on each update because solutions are revised. Magnitudes are those published (mb, Ms, Mw, ml…) and are not converted; depth is the hypocentre depth in km.
Yearly counts are computed on the server from imported events of type “earthquake” (explosions and other types are kept but excluded from counts). Historical earthquakes and their tolls come from the NCEI/WDS significant earthquake database, dated to the year when the day is unknown.
Reading these data
The global catalogue is homogeneous neither in time nor in magnitude: completeness at M 4.5 is only reached after 1973 and still improves afterwards. Magnitudes of different types are not comparable; the great historical earthquakes (e.g. Valdivia 1960, M 9.5) are re-evaluations. No link with solar activity or tides is established; see the Correspondences pages.
SOURCES OF THIS PAGE
- USGS ComCat earthquakes M ≥ 4.5 (FDSN event service)
-
U.S. Geological Survey, Earthquake Hazards Program (2017). Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS) Comprehensive Catalog of Earthquake Events and Products. Accessed through the FDSN event web service.
· doi:10.5066/F7MS3QZH · source page ↗
Licence : U.S. Government work, public domain; cite USGS ANSS ComCat · retrieved on Oct 26, 2026 · SHA-256 54eb2b59eac4… - NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database
-
National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.
· doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K · source page ↗
Licence : U.S. Government work, public domain; cite NCEI/WDS · retrieved on Oct 23, 2026 · SHA-256 f99e14bcd8f1…